Henkel

Henkel is an industry-leading provider of advanced adhesive and sealant technologies that solve the most critical hardware and assembly challenges facing UAV and unmanned systems manufacturers today.

Ensuring reliable fastening, secure motor assembly, and durable structural bonding, Henkel’s solutions provide a crucial foundation for drones and robotic vehicles operating in the harshest of conditions, withstanding high vibration, dynamic loads, mechanical stress and extremes of climate.

In addition to providing enhanced durability and stability, LOCTITE® and TEROSON products offer greater design freedom and reduced assembly requirements, supporting compact and high-performance devices including drone and unmanned vehicle architectures.

Adhesive Applications for Professional UAVs & Unmanned Systems

Use Cases & Success Stories

Drone Body Production

A customer designed a UAV with a monocoque composite structure, combining carbon fiber and Kevlar airframe components with CNC-machined aluminum joints. This mixed composite-metal body required controlled mold release and surface preparation during composite manufacturing, as well as reliable threadlocking and sealing to secure fasteners and protect joints under vibration and environmental exposure.

Henkel’s solution used LOCTITE® FREKOTE® 770NC as a mold release during composite manufacturing, LOCTITE® SF 7063 to clean released parts, LOCTITE® 243 for threadlocking, and LOCTITE® 577 for threadsealing. The process supported clean demolding, contamination-free bonding surfaces and vibration-resistant fastening, resulting in reduced scrap, improved reliability and consistent production quality.

Drone E-Motor Magnet Bonding

A US-based e-propelled drone platform designer and manufacturer experienced curing issues and magnet adhesive failures at a rate of 2–3% during rotor assembly. With production at 1,200 motors per month and plans to triple capacity, reliable magnet retention and process consistency were essential to improving production stability.

Henkel replaced the company’s previous dual-adhesive approach, using LOCTITE® EA 9496 as a single magnet-bonding solution. Offering improved surface preparation and a standardized bonding procedure, LOCTITE® EA 9496 eliminated curing-related production issues, ensured magnet retention, removed previous magnet debonding issues and reduced final-stage rejections by 6%.

Robotic Epoxy Dispensing for Drone Arm Assembly

A French drone manufacturer was using manual 50 ml pneumatic handguns to dispense LOCTITE® EA M31CL for bonding and sealing plastic components during arm assembly. As production volumes increased, this manual application led to variability, lower repeatability and a productivity bottleneck, and the company required a more consistent semi-automatic dispensing process.

Henkel delivered a robot-guided dispensing setup for LOCTITE® EA M31CL using the MM10 2K system, EQ RB40, Controller 97102, anti-drip valve and SSS 20 Ga needle. Installed in the customer’s lab and programmed via teach pendant, the system provided accurate, repeatable dispensing with clean starts and stops, no dripping, no excess material and consistent bead geometry.

More info: Automated Robotic Dispensing Systems

Efficient Magnet Bonding for Drone Motors

A drone motor manufacturer was using multiple adhesives for different bonds within the motor assembly, creating process inefficiencies and reliability issues. The customer needed a single adhesive solution that could streamline production and improve throughput across motor assembly substrates, while providing protection against shock, vibration, and extremes of climate.

Henkel provided LOCTITE® AA 3510 with LOCTITE® SF 7091 as a comprehensive adhesive solution for bonding neodymium magnets, aluminum, stainless steel and other motor assembly components. Primer was applied by brush to one side, adhesive was applied robotically to the other side, and the exterior adhesive was cured with a UV light source. This solution reduced throughput time by 45%, increasing reliability and eliminating failed motors while reducing materials costs.

Leakage & Vibration Resistance in Drone Assembly

A drone manufacturer experienced persistent leakage issues in pneumatic systems as well as bolt loosening caused by high vibration, affecting reliability and service life. Previous solutions had failed to prevent these show-stopping problems occurring in critical assemblies.

Henkel used LOCTITE® 243 for threadlocking metal-to-metal fasteners and LOCTITE® 577 for threadsealing pneumatic system connections. LOCTITE® 243 was applied to bolt connections and LOCTITE® 577 to pneumatic fittings, followed by torque and pressure testing. This combined solution successfully eliminated leakage and vibration-induced loosening, while improving reliability and performance and extending maintenance intervals.